1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the playing of recorded music as by a disc jockey (i.e., a “DJ” in the argot of the trade) or other entertainer. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention generally relates to enhanced song-to-song transitions when music is played through a multi-channel sound system and, preferably, in a live-music environment.
2. Background of the Invention
In an environment where people are dancing, maintaining some degree of continuity in song-to-song transitions is generally desired and, in fact, the quality of such transitions is often a measure of the professionalism of a particular production. A variety of techniques have been developed by disc jockeys to improve the continuity between songs, such as beat matching, scratching, phrase matching, pitch bending, etc. Some of these techniques fall under the general rubric of “turntablism”, whereas others might be categorized as “mixing” or transition effects.
Generally, in a live performance environment as one song is approaching its conclusion, or “outro”, the first beat of a second record is cued. In the event where both songs are playing on conventional turntables, and, assuming that the two songs have the same time signature, e.g., if both have a 4/4 time signature, beat matching between the starting and ending songs maybe accomplished manually by adjusting the speed of the second turntable so that the two records have an identical number of beats per minute. In other situations, for example where digitally formatted music is being played from compact disks or from songs stored as MP3 files on hard disk, such beat matching may be performed automatically by a computer according to methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In either case, preferably on a down beat of the first record, the second record is started so that the beats of the two songs are synchronized as the first song ends and the second begins its intro.
Phrase matching is simply the extension of beat matching to overlap musical phrases between the two songs. Typically in songs suited for phrase matching, a song is constructed as a series of phrases, each phrase being some multiple of four bars. The continuity between songs is enhanced by beginning the beat matching process at the beginning of a phrase so that the songs overlap by an integer number of phrases.
Pitch bending is the process of modifying the speed, or tempo, of the second song to precisely match the tempo of the first song. This is performed either by adjusting the turntable speed of the second record or manually by holding back the second record with one or two fingers to produce the desired speed. While pitch bending can be used to match the speeds of two songs which are of nearly the same tempo, it is unlikely that pitch bending can be used to align two songs between which the tempo differs by more than a few beats per minute.
While these techniques are regularly mastered by DJ's, they still suffer from a number of limitations. For example, a DJ must first develop the art of turntablism. The skilled DJ must then become intimately familiar with each song to be mixed and learn which songs mix well with each other and identify phrases which will align well between songs. Even with a skilled DJ, not all songs are suitable for mixing through beat matching or phrase matching, the tempos may vary by too much, the keys may be incompatible, or the songs just may not subjectively blend well.
The terms “surround” or “surround sound” are often used to refer to audio recorded in five, or more, channels, typically: a left front channel; a center front channel; a right front channel; a right rear channel; and a left rear channel. In addition, a bass channel is sometimes provided for driving a sub-woofer to add bass sounds to a degree which may be as much about tactile perceptions as it is about audible perceptions. While conventional stereo systems impart some spatial quality to audio, providing four or more channels of audio can truly create an impression that a reproduced sound is emanating from virtually any point around a listener.
With surround audio systems, it has become a common practice to provide a number of effects which will fill all five channels even when a program has only been recorded in one or two channels. Often times, the rear channels are simply delayed from the front panel to create an illusion that seemingly transforms even a small room into a concert hall. By manipulation of volume and delay, a number of effects can be achieved in a surround system.
However, dance and listening audiences are always seeking new audio experiences and, in spite of the number of conventional transitions that might be available, there is always a need for new and interesting transition effects.
Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for song-to-song transitions which takes advantage of the spatial quality of a stereo, surround, or other multi-channel audio system, thereby enhancing the transition between songs which might not otherwise be well suited for conventional transition methods and to improve transitions between songs which are suitable for beat matching.
Heretofore, as is well known in the music and video industries, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventors, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a device that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.